The best motorcycle roads in Switzerland
Switzerland has more great passes per square kilometre than anywhere else in Europe. Around Andermatt alone, five passes start within half an hour: the Furka, the Gotthard, the Oberalp, the Susten and, a little further, the Grimsel and the Nufenen. To the east, Graubünden adds the Albula, Julier, Flüela and Bernina, and to the south-west the Great St Bernard climbs toward Italy.
The roads are among the best maintained in the Alps, the signposting is excellent and the hotels at the top of the passes have served travellers for well over a century. This list ranks the passes we would plan a trip around. Every entry gives the road, a rough length, the months it is usually open and where to stay.
Switzerland is also strict. Speed limits are enforced with cameras and steep fines, noise is policed on the busiest passes, and the motorway vignette is compulsory for motorcycles. Ride at the limit, keep your exhaust legal, and the country is a joy.
1. Furka Pass
- Road
- Route 19
- Length
- About 30 km
- Best season
- June to October
The Furka climbs to 2,429 metres between Realp, near Andermatt, and Gletsch in the upper Rhône valley. The western side is the famous one, with tight hairpins past the old Hotel Belvédère and the remains of the Rhône glacier, the view made famous by the James Bond film Goldfinger. The eastern side is wider and faster. Combine it with the Grimsel and Susten for the classic Swiss triangle, one of the best days of riding in Europe.
2. Grimsel Pass
- Road
- Route 6
- Length
- About 38 km
- Best season
- June to October
From Gletsch, the Grimsel climbs a short wall of hairpins to 2,164 metres, then drops north past the granite slabs and hydroelectric dams of the Haslital to Innertkirchen. The northern descent is long and fast, with wide, open bends between rock walls and lakes, and the summit has a cold, bare beauty with views back to the Furka. It is one of the busiest Swiss passes on summer weekends, so ride it on a weekday if you can.
3. Susten Pass
- Road
- Route 11
- Length
- About 45 km
- Best season
- June to October
The Susten links Innertkirchen with Wassen in the Reuss valley over 2,224 metres, and it is one of the most beautifully engineered roads in the Alps. Built in the mid-20th century as a modern pass road, it is wide, smooth and sweeping, with tunnels, stone bridges and a summit view of the Stein glacier. The western climb from Innertkirchen is long and flowing; the eastern descent through the Meiental is tighter. Many riders rate it the best of the three in the triangle.
4. Gotthard Pass and the Tremola
- Road
- Route 2
- Length
- About 13 km
- Best season
- June to October
The Gotthard crosses from Andermatt to Airolo over 2,106 metres. The modern road is fast and wide, but the reason to come is the Tremola, the old cobbled road on the southern side: about 4 km of granite setts climbing in two dozen hairpins stacked down the valley, part of a longer old road of around 13 km. It is slow and bumpy, and slippery when wet, but nothing else in the Alps feels like it. Ride up the Tremola and down the new road for the contrast.
5. Nufenen Pass (Passo della Novena)
- Road
- Cantonal pass road
- Length
- About 37 km
- Best season
- June to October
At 2,478 metres the Nufenen is the highest pass road entirely inside Switzerland, linking Ulrichen in the Goms valley with Airolo in Ticino. The Valais side is a steady climb with long straights and open hairpins; the Ticino side through the Val Bedretto is longer and more varied. The summit looks straight at the glaciers of the Bernese Alps. Ride it with the Gotthard and Furka for a loop of three of the highest passes in Switzerland in a day.
6. Oberalp Pass
- Road
- Route 19
- Length
- About 30 km
- Best season
- May to October
The Oberalp climbs from Andermatt to about 2,044 metres and drops into Graubünden toward Disentis, with the Matterhorn Gotthard railway running beside you. The road is wide and well surfaced, with a set of easy hairpins on the Andermatt side and a lake and a lighthouse at the top, marking the source of the Rhine. It is the gentlest of the Andermatt passes, and the descent to Disentis and the Vorderrhein valley leads on to the Lukmanier and Graubünden.
7. Klausen Pass
- Road
- Route 17
- Length
- About 46 km
- Best season
- June to October
The Klausen links Altdorf in Uri with Linthal in Glarus over 1,948 metres, and it was once a hill-climb race course. The western side climbs through forest and pastures with steady, sweeping bends; the eastern side is spectacular, with a narrow road cut into the cliff above the Urner Boden, one of the largest alpine pastures in Switzerland, and a series of hairpins down to Linthal. It is quieter than the central passes and easy to combine with Lake Lucerne.
8. Albula Pass
- Road
- Cantonal pass road
- Length
- About 40 km
- Best season
- June to October
The Albula links Filisur and Bergün with La Punt in the Engadine over 2,312 metres. It is narrower and quieter than the Julier next door, with a twisty climb through the Bergün valley past the famous Rhaetian Railway viaducts and spirals, and then a high, empty moonscape at the top. The descent to the Engadine is short and steep. Ride it one way and the Julier back for a fine Graubünden loop, with St Moritz as the base.
9. Bernina Pass
- Road
- Route 29
- Length
- About 55 km
- Best season
- All year (winter conditions)
The Bernina links St Moritz with Tirano in Italy over 2,328 metres, and it is usually kept open in winter. The northern side passes the Morteratsch glacier and the Diavolezza; the top is open, with lakes and the Bernina range above. The southern descent through Poschiavo to Tirano is long and full of bends, dropping more than 1,800 metres into the vineyards of the Valtellina. It is the natural route from the Engadine to the Stelvio and Gavia.
10. Great St Bernard Pass
- Road
- Route 21
- Length
- About 45 km
- Best season
- June to October
The ancient route between Martigny in Valais and Aosta in Italy climbs to 2,469 metres, where the hospice and its famous dogs have welcomed travellers for centuries. A tunnel takes the trucks underneath, which leaves the pass road itself for riders and tourists. The Swiss side climbs steadily through galleries; the Italian side is a long run of hairpins down toward Aosta. Combine it with the Little St Bernard into France for a two-country loop.
11. Flüela Pass
- Road
- Route 28
- Length
- About 27 km
- Best season
- May to October
The Flüela links Davos with Susch in the Lower Engadine over 2,383 metres. It is wide, open and fast, with flowing bends and two small lakes at the top under bare rock peaks. It closes for the winter, when the Vereina rail tunnel carries cars between the Prättigau and the Lower Engadine instead. In summer it is the easiest way from Davos into the Engadine, and it combines well with the Ofen pass into the Swiss National Park and on to the Val Müstair and the Stelvio.
How to plan a trip around these roads
Base yourself in Andermatt or the Goms valley for the central passes, and ride the Furka, Grimsel and Susten as a loop in a day, then the Gotthard, Nufenen and Oberalp on another. Move east to the Engadine or Davos for the Albula, Flüela, Julier and Bernina. Three nights in each is a good week.
The high passes usually open between late May and mid-June and close from October, with dates set each year by the cantons. Check the current status before you set off; the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) and the cantonal road services publish pass openings.
- A motorway vignette is compulsory for motorcycles on Swiss motorways; buy it from the official Swiss federal source (it is also sold at the border).
- Swiss speed fines are high, and serious speeding is treated as a criminal offence. Stick to the limit, especially in villages.
- Postal buses have priority on mountain roads: listen for their three-tone horn and give way.
- Fuel is often available only from card-operated pumps in the mountains outside opening hours.
More of the best motorcycle roads
Questions riders ask
What is the best motorcycle road in Switzerland?
The Furka, Grimsel and Susten passes ridden as a loop are the classic Swiss day. The Susten is often rated the best single road, and the cobbled Tremola on the Gotthard is the most unusual.
When are the Swiss passes open?
Most high passes open between late May and mid-June and close in October or November, depending on snow. A few, such as the Bernina and the Julier, are usually kept open in winter. Check the cantonal road services or the TCS for the current status.
Do I need a vignette to ride a motorcycle in Switzerland?
Yes, a motorway vignette is required for motorcycles on Swiss motorways. Buy it from the official Swiss federal source before you travel, or at the border. Pass roads off the motorway network do not need one.
Which is the highest pass in Switzerland?
The Umbrail pass, linking Switzerland with the Stelvio, reaches about 2,501 metres. The Nufenen, at 2,478 metres, is the highest pass road entirely within Switzerland.
Where should I stay for a Swiss motorcycle trip?
Andermatt or the Goms valley for the Furka, Grimsel, Susten, Gotthard, Nufenen and Oberalp. St Moritz, Davos or the Engadine for the Albula, Julier, Flüela and Bernina.